


baby, we're the new romantics

by nonamebut



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anticlimactic Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22693702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonamebut/pseuds/nonamebut
Summary: In conclusion: Johnny and Kun like each other.
Relationships: Suh Youngho | Johnny/Qian Kun
Comments: 11
Kudos: 64





	baby, we're the new romantics

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cherrycitrus_blossom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrycitrus_blossom/gifts).



> happy birthday to the cutest kindest sweetest babie in the whole wide world <3

“Don’t mind that. It’s not important.”

Johnny continues to ignore the buzzing of his phone. If he doesn’t look at that cursed group chat and that cursed poll Sicheng’s made about him and Kun, then it doesn’t exist.

What really is important right now is that Johnny’s going through a Crisis. And it’s clearly, clearly not because of the unanimous _kun will confess first because johnny is STUPID_ vote. Not at all.

“Uh, alright.” Wendy nods solemnly. A strange, awkward silence stretches between them before Wendy seems to realize that she needs to prompt and probe Johnny to continue.

“So can you tell me what started this...” Here she waves her hands vaguely “... whole thing then?”

Technically, it kind of did start with that idiotic poll. (Sicheng is the absolute _worst_. He’s so lucky he’s not even the country to begin with so Johnny can’t demolish the guy in person.)

But no. This weird feeling that stirs up in his chest whenever he so much as considers the idea of one Qian Kun… Johnny thinks this all started from a far off thing from a long, long time ago.

Maybe that’s where Johnny can begin: how lost he is, now that he’s realized an age old truth that he, kind of, already knew by heart.

“You know how one day you look at someone and realize that you want to hold their hand, maybe even kiss them, for the rest of your lives?”

All of that sounds cheesier in English, but Johnny’s not risking anything, even though the SM cafeteria is mostly empty.

Wendy doesn’t ask who the mystery hypothetical is and instead says, “Sounds like you’ve already long accepted these feelings, so I don’t really see what’s the problem.”

“Well, it kind of is? That being the problem, I mean.” Johnny frowns.

It’s just weird, okay? Not the liking Kun part, because he is quite literally the most husband material man in the entire universe and everyone can’t help but love him.

But it’s that, fine, it took a whole _stupid_ poll (a _Winwin_ poll!) to figure out he’s long since got the hots for Kun.

It’s really dumb. It makes Johnny feel like a fool, and he’s not sure how to deal with it, how to make up for it. Because how much of a dummy does he have to be, to have simply looked at one of his dearest friends, for how many years now?

And then suddenly, he blinks—and it’s there. Flashing before Johnny’s eyes, like brightly burning comets.

Yerim giggles from her seat across them. She doesn’t even bother looking up from her IG feed, offhandedly bruising Johnny’s already wounded pride. Johnny realizes, then, how much Yerim’s improved in her English while they were all too busy to meet up like this.

“You make it sound like _magic_. What even!”

“... she’s kind of got a point.”

To her credit, Wendy really tries not to smile, to so obnoxiously join in on the teasing. She switches back to Korean for Yerim’s sake and the younger girl smiles at her iPhone in quiet gratitude.

“Maybe you’re just making everything more complicated than it needs to be.” Now Wendy frowns, too. She pokes Johnny’s shoulder and he stares at the festive Valentine pink of her finger nail. “It’s a bit unlike you, since you’re usually so forward. But in the end I think that you’ll be okay!”

Yerim makes a soft, encouraging sound. “Yeah. Don’t worry about it much, oppa. You’re probably going to figure it out, like you always do.”

“Thanks for believing in me, I guess.”

Johnny groans. He’s about to ask them to help him figure out if Kun is still interested after all this time (in a really, really obtuse way that preferably does not involve name dropping) but then Seulgi drags out the chair next to Wendy’s, making her presence known with a “are you gonna finish that?”

And Joohyun’s laugh comes in from the hallway and the mood shifts along, just like that. Wendy smiles apologetically and punches him on the shoulder before turning to Seulgi to talk about today’s dessert menu.

  
  


The thing is that maybe Kun isn’t as unfathomable as Johnny likes to think. Not in the romantic way his heart insists on, wants to believe in. Because in truth Kun really is much like Johnny in many ways.

Not in the sense that the same blood rushes through their veins. (Which is awful and illegal and Taeyong would quite literally get a heart attack, with how much Johnny whines about Kun when they’re sneaking in a drink or two after a long day of NCT schedules.) It’s like, this.

It doesn’t matter if Johnny is, technically, Korean. What matters is that the both of them are far, far from their families, had to pack up their things and take their chances in a new country with handicaps in the form of an unfamiliar tongue and homesickness.

They’re made out of the same stuff. By some fate, Johnny and Kun are forged out of the same stars, coincidentally colliding into each other in a sky blue practice room after several eons.

Huh. How terribly—how obnoxiously—romantic. Maybe Yerim really did make a point.

  
  


But what would Johnny know about love? It’s not like he, or any of them, really, have got a clue. For very obvious reasons.

  
  


But even so.

It’s a bit embarrassing, but somehow Johnny finds himself asking for advice from NCT 127’s most infamous romantic.

“Wah. This is just like that movie!” Donghyuck seemed unnaturally quiet when he entered the van and curled into the leather of the corner seat next to Johnny, but now he’s leaning in, stretching the seat belt as far as it can go across his shoulder and his chest. 

“Are you really gonna be like Rosie, hyung? Don’t just let the love of your life pass you by. You gotta see the signs and make your move before anything bad happens!”

Johnny laughs, glad that at least one of them is having a good time. Momentary mortification aside, it’s nice seeing their maknae so alert and bright again.

Before he can take advantage of the situation and tease Donghyuck about it, Mark turns around from his seat in the row in front of them. Johnny looks up, up and away. He meets Jaehyun’s crinkling gaze through the rear view mirror and they mouth, in chorus, _ah shit, here we go again_.

“You talk like such an expert,” Mark goads. Distantly, Johnny thinks of how their fans always seem to think that Donghyuck is the wild one and Mark is his unsuspecting victim. Mark’s just as feral and always bites back. “What experience are you pulling from, all six rewatches of The Kissing Booth?”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. Here go the motions again. “No, from all six times I tricked you, cuddled you into having a movie date with me?”

“Oh?”

Mark does that quirky thing with his eyebrows that he must think makes him look so sexy, so comehitherto. But Johnny just thinks a dork is always a dork no matter what.

So before Mark can say anything sleazy, like _maybe I’m the one who tricks you into doing aegyo for me, what do you think about that, huh_ , Johnny coughs loudly.

From the corner of his eye he sees Taeyong's mouth opening and closing like a fish, which is never a good sign. Usually it means that he isn't at a capacity to handle any will-they-won't-they markhyuck shenanigans.

“Are you guys really gonna pull a Johnkun, in front of me?” Johnny tsks. He uses English to take advantage of the fact that Donghyuck would still struggle to reply back but would give up after a simply constructed jab. (Mark is a good kid who’ll back down.) Elementary stuff.

“I raised you two to be better than this.”

Mark giggles, but at least it gets him to safely face forward again. Strangely enough, Donghyuck flushes wildly, though he too shuts up.

A sleight of hand, that’s for sure, but at what cost.

He glances to the side to see Yuta putting down his phone, shit eating grin stretching across his lips.

Johnny knocks his shoulder against Yuta’s. “Did you really just send that to the foreigner chat?”

“Duh. Check the messenger poll, we’ve got a new bet going on.”

Amazing. Johnny says so, and Yuta cackles, reminding him to stay still and wait for WayV to come back to Korea.

“I can’t wait to see what’ll happen,” Yuta insists, and Mark continues to pretend he’s not eavesdropping.

Yuta looks off broodily out the window, pretending to be like one of his favorite anime boys. (Johnny thinks it might be one of the swimming boys who’s in love with his childhood friend, but maybe he’s just projecting.)

“Are you going to self-fullfilling-prophecy yourself, or are you going to be petty and confess first? Ah, this is so funny!”

“Is this about the poll Renjun made just now?” Mark whispers annoyingly, turning around in his seat again. “I was wondering what it meant because all it said was to vote for ‘petty’ or ‘princess’.”

(Donghyuck groans, mumbles, almost to himself, “what are you guys even talking about.” He catches Taeil’s gaze from where their eldest was chilling at the back of the car. They stare at each other, unimpressed with all the sudden switches to rapid fire English.)

The weird exchange ends there but it puts Johnny unnaturally on edge during the whole car ride. He doesn’t miss how Yuta snickers and literally rubs him, teases him for being so easy.

“Why are we all so _weird_ ,” laments Johnny. It’s February and the only reason they talk about romance these days is to mock each other for trying to get involved in it.

“Price of being an idol,” Doyoung offers, speaking up for the first time since they climbed into the van, and of course everyone makes a sound of assent. It’s the only thing they all can ever agree on, really.

  
  


If life played out the way Haechanie’s movies did, maybe Johnny and Kun really would have that slow burn romance that would put the oldest epics to shame. They’d finally confess to each other, to the background of fireworks exploding vibrantly, whether they’re of the literal or symbolic kind. Or maybe they’d both get caught in the rain, soaked through their clothes and clutching at each other like there’s nothing else they see, nothing else they can feel.

  
  


Instead, the way a heart fluttering shoujo sparkles moment (quote intellectual property of Nakamoto Yuta) plays out in actual Real Life goes a lot like — well.

  
  


One of the funniest things about being in NCT would be how the fans react when any of them so much as interact with each other.

If they could see Johnny now, they’d probably lose it.

There he is, sitting on his bed, offering his lap to a sleeping Jungwoo. While being in the presence of a member who has long since been on hiatus would honestly be enough to get the fans all feral, that's not where the Interaction ends.

Johnny's also got his laptop and phone out, streaming Renjun's radio and video calling Kun.

Talk about an ambitious crossover.

What makes the situation even more hilarious, though perhaps not even the most obsessed of fans would figure it out, would be the current topic of conversation. Because Renjun, voice soothing and kind, is talking about a fan's concerns about confessing.

"If you like someone," says the boy on the radio, "you should tell them."

Kun laughs, the sound bouncing weirdly through the speakers. It's still the cutest thing Johnny's ever known.

Soon, Johnny also finds himself laughing along with him, after Kun quickly and efficiently translates.

"Wow," Kun says when the giggles subside. "It's amazing how him and Yangyang are the same age. But is it Renjun who is wise beyond his years or is it Yangyang who is… baby?"

Endeared by the way Kun switches to English to comment on WayV's maknae, Johnny nods so very indulgently. He thinks about his own team's youngest, the assigned 2000 liner of 127, and says, "I honestly think it's both."

Kun starts clapping. "You are so right!"

Belatedly, when the stream ends and Kun bids him a sweet good night, Johnny realizes that he might have missed a pretty golden opportunity.

He wakes up Jungwoo, partially so he can have more space on the bed, but also because he needs to know.

Jungwoo sleepily blinks at him a few times. He feels kind of bad unloading all this dumb boy stuff to him, but Jungwoo’s always shared some nuggets of wisdom, so...

"If you're asking someone else about it, then you already know just how much of a dummy you're being." A considering pause. "Well, it's more than some people can say for themselves. Some of them don't even recognize how stupid they're being."

Johnny thinks of will-they-won't-they-Markhyuck and cringes delicately. That’s not exactly a good comparison.

"Still... not very reassuring, but thanks, I guess."

In life, you are either a Renjun or a Yangyang. Johnny is starting to reevaluate where he stands.

He takes back everything he assumed about romance. (Sorry, Yerim.)

  
  


A week before Jaehyun's birthday, Johnny finally gets the chance to talk to physically be in the same space as the WayV members.

So, of course, he first turns to his emotional support kpop boy.

Ten smiles at him serenely. "So what did you need, John?"

He's known him for way longer than Kun. There's no use for smoke and mirrors with this boy.

When Ten clasps his hands together, Johnny is abruptly reminded of how Donghyuck does the same thing every time he tries not to get too worked up. "So you've finally got your head out of your ass. Congratulations."

Johnny accepts the backhanded compliment. He'll take whatever he can get.

"So what do I do? What does he like?"

Ten chuckles darkly. He switches to English and Johnny doesn't know if he should be relieved or scared.

"Ohhhh, Johnny boy. I'm gonna help you make the most perfect confession yet. All surprise events that were and will ever be are shaking."

"Okay." Johnny nods. "Okay, so what do we do?"

His best friend lifts a finger, goes nuh-uh-uh. "You have to promise to only do it exactly when I tell you to though."

Johnny groans. "The stupid bet again?"

Of course it is the stupid bet again. "Is there nothing sacred to you? Would you not help me if not for that stupid, stupid bet?"

"Of course!" Ten pouts. "It's just funnier this way, and at least it's a win win situation."

Then Ten gaps and realizes that it literally is a Winwin situation, suddenly grabbing his phone and leaving Johnny to mumble to himself.

"I don't think that's how a long time best friendship works, but go off I guess."

  
  


As it turns out, all those preparations were for naught, because at the end of the day Johnny really is a direct bitch.

That's at least one thing Yerim and Wendy were on to.

“So?” Johnny asks after spilling his guts out. And by spilling his guts out, he just means stopping Kun in the hallway for a brief talk before he enters one of the new practice rooms. All casual.

“What are you thinking?”

Kun doesn’t blush, doesn’t smile sweetly through his lashes as the ceiling fan overhead turns and turns, casting shadows on their two lone figures. Johnny doesn’t spare a passing thought on the softly curled style of Kun’s hair. There’s no melodrama, no suggestive biting of lips.

Instead, it’s just Johnny saying something like, _I like you_. And Kun doesn’t run away like the girls do in Yuta’s guilty pleasure shoujos.

Instead, Kun says, so very sage, "I kind of assumed we were just… letting things take its course. You're very busy with 127 and there's me with leading the WayV kids…"

Oh. Well that's true.

They're mature kids. It's not like they had the chance to confess their love for each other under cherry blossoms, or by the Han River at night.

"Yeah, well." Johnny scratches his ear. "I just felt like telling you. Out loud. In person. Just because."

Kun stares at him for a moment, and Johnny starts fearing he might have said the wrong thing. In his mind’s eye he flashes through Ten’s Netflix history, and it reminds Johnny of all he needs to know about what happens next: the fall out, the inevitable deterioration of a friendship cut too short.

But then Kun smiles. Kun smiles, and it's not a shooting star kind of smile, shining briefly but brightly blazing through the sky.

It's a soft smile, glowing and twinkling for what feels like centuries, even though it must have only been a second.

"Well. Then it's only natural I say it back, right?" Then Kun laughs and says the words, easy and simple.

Huh.

What do all those kids know about love, anyway? Donghyuck, Ten, Renjun? Even Yuta?

Johnny really does know a thing or two about romance. Maybe.

**Author's Note:**

> i love you!! <3


End file.
